TISS Mumbai cites ‘intelligence inputs’ to cancel 86th convocation with CJI chief guest, draws students' ire

TISS Mumbai has cancelled its 86th convocation ceremony at the last minute, citing information about a "possible untoward incident." Students who had already arranged travel for the ceremony are now demanding accountability and compensation over the sudden cancellation of the degree-distribution event.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai had invited Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest of the 86th convocation ceremony, scheduled on August 2.

The programme invitation card circulated among faculty members indicates that the CJI was the chief guest.

TISS Mumbai sent graduating students an official mail after midnight informing them that the convocation event had been postponed due to "some unforeseen circumstances".

The 86th convocation of the institute was planned to be held in the convention centre at Naoroji campus, Deonar, Mumbai.

The Progressive Students' Forum (PSF) expressed its concerns about the last-minute cancellation of the event and said that students and their families had already made travel and accommodation arrangements, and many working students had taken leave to attend the event.

TISS Mumbai: Delay in results, degrees affects students

According to the students' group, the continued delay in declaring results and issuing degree certificates has already had an impact on students pursuing higher education, competitive exams, and employment opportunities.

“The postponement further aggravates these difficulties and risks damaging the institution's reputation,” the PSF statement added.

“Several families had already begun their journey to Mumbai when the announcement was made. The losses and distress caused to students and their families rest squarely on an administration that failed to communicate responsibly and in good time,” the students' group Fraternity Movement said in its statement.

Notably, TISS Mumbai admin said that the sudden postponement followed "intelligence inputs" suggesting a possible incident during the event, leading them to cancel it as a precaution.

TISS Mumbai students seek accountability

Furthermore, the student delegation submitted a formal representation to the institute’s registrar requesting degree distribution for students who have already reached Mumbai and highlighting the financial burden caused by the sudden cancellation.

The key updates from the meeting are:

Compensation/Reimbursement

The institute said it is working on a system to compensate students for travel and stay expenses, with the finance department expected to handle the reimbursement process.

Convocation Rescheduling and Degree Distribution

The administration did not accept the request to distribute degrees to students already present in Mumbai, stating that degree conferral must follow the formal convocation process involving the chancellor and deputy chancellor, and cannot be done separately.

However, the administration informed that the convocation is likely to be rescheduled at the earliest.